Wagon Wheel Rugs a Lost Art Worth Retrieving

In Silver Dollar City, one can traverse the streets of this theme park and see not just thrill rides and shows, but also watch artisans practicing their craft right there in the park. One such craft that caught my eye was called "Wagon Wheel woven rug" by the woman weaving it. Watching her for awhile I learned a lot about this unique weaving technique and finding it fascinating, I decided to share it with the crafters in the community as well.

This kind of woven rag rug can be traced back to the times of wagon trains. Since all wagons carried an extra 5th wheel in case of emergencies and since frontier women were known to be both practical and crafty, it didn't take long for some wise woman to develop a way to use these wagon wheels to create a rug. When you think about it, wagon train travel took a LONG time and this was a perfect opportunity for women to prepare for their new homes by crafting these rugs as they traveled.

Early weavers used rags to cut strips for these rugs, often out of sturdy cotton clothing that had become unusable. Because variety was not always available, these rugs tended to be a mixed affair. Today's weavers have the luxury of choosing fabric especially for their rugs though I've found it's fun to use strips from family members clothing to lend an air of heirloom about the piece. In future years, saying it was made of Dad's old work shirts seems to me to hold more meaning than saying "I purchased the fabric at "textiles R Us". But whatever materials you choose to use when you make this rug, I guarantee it will be a winner, simply because of the uniqueness of design and of course because it was made BY YOU!

Note: the time needed to finish a rug will depend solely upon the weaver. An experienced weaver with precut strips can finish it in approximately a day....a less experienced weaver will take a bit longer. And remember, this craft doesn't have to be limited to rugs, it can also be crafted on a smaller scale for seat cushions or even smaller as coasters. The possibilities are endless!

For more information about and instructions on How to make "Wagon Wheel rugs Please, check the links below.

On this site, go down to the heading UNIQUE RUGS and click on Wagon Wheel....it will take you to the instruction area.

This site will introduce you to the world of woven rugs...take some time to familiarize yourself with the different kinds...it's a great resource for beginners.

And this area will give you an idea of how the wagon wheel rug came to be and what it looks like during weaving.

This site is full of illustrations and instructions on how to create your own wagon wheel rug.

And here is a link for a booklet on wagon wheel rug making for purchase